Do you want to know what life was like for the Israelites after Moses died? This is recounted in the Book of Joshua and Joshua 6 is a magnificent example of how God helped his people reach the Promised Land.
Joshua 6 of the Bible
Although it would seem that with Moses they had already arrived in Canaan the land promised by God to those Israelites who had escaped from Egypt, there was still much to be done, for the inhabitants there were fiercely opposed to their arrival. their arrival.
Today we bring you an article of biblical history with which you will be able to learn many things about the origins of Judaism and, therefore, of Christianity; and so you will have the possibility to interpret everyday situations with more historical examples.
We always like to start our articles by showing you the chapter we are going to analyze on video, always as an introduction and so that you can relax and use these readings as a time to to pray and reflect.
So, here you have Joshua chapter 6 in full in this sensational narration. Seek the Lord in every word and try to understand everything that is being said. We will soon analyze the meaning of everything more complicated!
Joshua 6 in English and large print
You may be more of a person who prefers to read the chapter on your own. Don’t worry here we take everyone into account! Either with your own Bible or with the text shown below from the Joshua 6 We wish you a good reading.
The taking of Jericho
1 Now Jericho was shut up, shut up tight, because of the children of Israel; no one went in or out.
2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and his men of war.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, going about the city once: and this shall ye do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; and on the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 And when they blow the ram’s horn at length, so that you hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with a loud voice, and the wall of the city shall fall; then shall the people go up, every man straight forward.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called for the priests, and said unto them, Bring up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city round about; and they that are armed shall pass over before the ark of the LORD.
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed over before the ark of the LORD, and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard went after the ark, while the trumpets sounded continually.
10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, neither shall your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day that I say unto you, Shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So he caused the ark of the LORD to go round about the city, and they returned to the camp, and there they spent the night.
12 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13 And the seven priests, bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns, went before the ark of the LORD, walking continually and blowing the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, and the rear guard went after the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets blew continually.
14 So they went around the city again on the second day, and returned to the camp; and in this manner they did for six days.
15 On the seventh day they arose at the break of day, and went around the city in the same manner seven times; this day alone they went around it seven times.
16 And when the priests blew the trumpets the seventh time, Joshua said unto the people, Shout: for the LORD hath delivered the city unto you.
17 And the city shall be accursed unto the LORD, with all that is therein: only Rahab the harlot shall live, and all that are in the house with her, because she hid the messengers which we sent.
18 But keep yourselves from the accursed thing; neither touch, nor take anything of the accursed thing, lest ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.
19 But all the silver and the gold, and the vessels of brass and iron, let them be consecrated to the LORD, and let them enter into the treasury of the LORD.
20 Then the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that they shouted with a loud shout, and the wall fell down. The people then went up to the city, each one straight ahead, and took it.
21 And they destroyed with the edge of the sword all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, even the oxen, the sheep, and the asses.
22 And Joshua said unto the two men that had searched the land, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that is hers, as ye sware.
23 And the spies went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that was hers; and they also brought out all her kindred, and put them outside the camp of Israel.
24 And they burned the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver and the gold, and the vessels of brass and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s house, and all that she had; and she dwelleth among the children of Israel unto this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 At that time Joshua swore an oath, saying, Cursed before the LORD is the man that ariseth and buildeth this city Jericho. Upon his firstborn let him lay the foundations of it, and upon his youngest son let him set its gates.
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his name was spread throughout all the land.
Explanation and meaning of Joshua 6
First of all, we want to show you an interesting fact that you may not have known. The names of the biblical characters are very important and give you an understanding of the mission of each one of them.
In this case, we find the name Joshua, which in ancient Hebrew means “God saves“. This detail is fundamental if we take into account the context in which those people found themselves after walking for so long in the desert.
Their former leader was Moses, a name of Egyptian origin and apparently of no further significance. Then, the Jews went from being enslaved and not believing in God, to being saved and guided by Moses and, finally, with Joshua, they were saved and guided by Moses.
Context of Joshua 6 in the Bible
If you want to locate the Book of Joshua in the Bible, you should look towards the beginning, in the Old Testament. After the book of Deuteronomy, which closes the group of books called the Pentateuch and which were almost entirely written by Moses.
Apart from a few exceptions, the Bible is narrated chronologically so if you read from Genesis to Deuteronomy, you will know the background that has brought the Israelites to where they are at the time of Joshua.
But don’t worry, as we will give you a brief summary of the history of the summary of the story closer to this chapter and thus put you in the situation.
Moses, after God revealed Himself to him, leads the Jewish people out of the Egypt of the Pharaohs in a miraculous feat never to be repeated. We are currently in Exodus where the Hebrew people were to spend years walking and being tempted to sin.
Their journey was bound for the promised land Israel, which at that time was a fertile land with many opportunities for living. But at that time, there were already living there some pagan tribes that confronted them.
Many episodes happened during his journey and Moses, always guided by God, laid the foundations of the doctrine and the worship of the Lord and that many of them are still valid today. But finally, Moses died before entering the Promised Land and appointed Joshua as his successor.
It would be he who would have to face God’s enemies, among which was the city of Jericho; the fall of which is narrated in Joshua 6 that you have just read and that we are going to analyze.
Joshua 6 Bible Study
Let us now begin with the biblical commentary on Joshua 6We will divide it into parts as the events of this story unfold. Let’s keep going!
God’s promise (Joshua 6:1-14)
The chapter begins with something that should not go unnoticed: God tells Joshua that He has already delivered Jericho. has already delivered Jericho and its king. This is said in the past tense and at a time when the conquest of the city was impossible, because for the Lord time works differently.
The only thing his followers must do is have faith and follow his instructions in detail.
These consist of going around the city for six days carrying the Ark of the Covenant and on the seventh day to circle seven times in a row and then blow the horns. At that time the city would fall.
What is the the Ark of the Covenant? It is a chest in which the tablets of the law that God gave to Moses at Sinai were kept. Currently, it is a lost relic, although some say that its remains have been found in Ethiopia.
Following the account in Joshua 6, the carrying of the ark was a symbol to show that those who followed the God’s command God’s command would have his help and things that seemed impossible became possible.
The fall of Jericho (Joshua 6:15-21)
They followed the instructions and we come to Joshua 6:15, the seventh day. As you can see, the number 7 is very present in this story and it is not by chance.
One thing to keep in mind is that if their march lasted seven days, it means that they also marched on the Sabbath. Sabbath dayeven though they were doing it by God’s order.
Then the city fell and was destroyed by the Israelites. The Lord urged them in verse Joshua 6:17 not to draw near to the accursed thing; which is everything related to the worship of false gods and which led them to a life of sin.
Consequences and Conclusion (Joshua 6:22-25)
This whole episode marked a before and after in the faith of that people, since no one had conquered that city before and that meant that the Lord was with Joshua. the Lord was at Joshua’s side. Faith could make impossible.
And this is the message we can take away from this chapter: have faith and follow the Holy scriptures by applying them in your life and, in this way, you will lead a happy life where you will achieve things that seem unattainable.
Moreover, those who live far from the Lord and even consciously go against Him, will not find salvation and their spirit will never be complete.
After this commentary, we finish this article from Joshua 6 in which the Lord shows us the importance of having faith and reading the Bible reflectively, as well as attending and complying with Christian acts and festivities.
We say goodbye for today, thank you for reading and share this article if you liked it!